Word Origin & History

department mid-15c., "a going away, act of leaving," from O.Fr. département (12c.), from L.L. departire (see depart). French department meant "group of people" (as well as "departure"), from which English borrowed the sense of "separate division, separate business assigned to someone in a larger organization" (c.1735). Meaning "separate division of a government" is from 1769. As an administrative district in France, from 1792.

Example Sentences for department

They will choose competent and faithful representatives for every department.

No one department of human effort is specially His, or is His special expression.

You see, they put her in my department when she first came here to work.

The explanation belongs to the department of meteorology, and not to astronomy.

But he was not certain of the view his department would take.

Of course,” said the latter, “the department has no record of that man.

Then you'll find out what Department the contract was in, and then you'll find out all about it there.'

Pervaded our Department—without an appointment—and said he wanted to know!'

The Prefect of the Department, the Bishop, the clergy, objected to her story.

The Fine Arts are his department, and the question was entirely one for him.